


Anniversaries

by kitlee625, Sarahastro



Series: Life in the Field [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-13 16:50:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1233916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitlee625/pseuds/kitlee625, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarahastro/pseuds/Sarahastro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coulson celebrates his and May's anniversary. She is less enthusiastic about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anniversaries

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by scenes in _Sports Night_ and _The West Wing_ in which two characters (Casey and Dan, Josh and Donna) celebrate their friendship anniversaries with hilarious and adorable results.
> 
> Although not explicitly stated, we wrote this assuming that Coulson and May’s first mission together was similar to what we wrote in _Merry Happy_.

Everyone else was already in the kitchen eating breakfast when May came in. She glared at Coulson with more venom than was normal for so early in the morning.

Coulson did not seem concerned. “Did you see the card?”

“Yes.” She threw it down on the counter. It was pink and had flowers on the front, and it read “Happy Anniversary.”

Simmons squealed. “Oh, it’s your anniversary! How exciting!”

Skye beamed. “Aww, you guys! How long have you two been together?”

May glared at the girls.

“It’s the anniversary of our first mission together,” Coulson explained.

“I thought you’d gotten over this,” she said.

“I stopped after Bahrain because I didn’t think you wanted the reminder,” he said, “but now that we’re working together again, I wanted to celebrate the first time we met.”

Skye grabbed the card and opened it. Inside, underneath the preprinted message, Coulson had written “Thank you for saving my life. Phil.”

Simmons peered over her shoulder to read it. “That’s so sweet.”

May shook her head. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Do you do this with anyone else?” Skye asked.

“A few people. I used to send cards to Barton and Romanov,” Coulson said. “I worked with them for many years.”

May rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised that you wanted to celebrate the first time you met Tasha. She almost killed you and Clint.”

“But she didn’t. She joined S.H.I.E.L.D., and it led to a long, productive working relationship.”

Skye snickered. “Are you going to send one to Victoria Hand next year? ‘Thank you for sending my team in without an extraction plan and lying to me about it.’”

“It depends on how much more we work together this year, but probably not,” Coulson said. “I only send cards to people I have a close relationship with.”

“You’ll probably all get cards,” May said.

“That’s so nice of you, sir,” Simmons gushed.

“Does that mean we should get you a card?” Skye asked. “‘Thanks for abducting me from my van.’”

“That’s not necessary,” Coulson said. “Most people don’t. It’s just something I like to do.”

“So when exactly is our anniversary anyway?” Fitz asked. “Would it be when you picked us to join the team? Or the first day of our first mission together?”

“The first day when we started as team,” Coulson said. “That’s when I met all of you for the first time in person except for Ward, who I met a few days earlier, and May, who I met twenty-one years ago today.”

“No you didn’t,” May said.

Coulson looked surprised. “But today’s our anniversary.”

“It’s the anniversary of our first mission together, but not when we first met. We met a few months before that.”

Coulson frowned. “Why don’t I remember that?”

“You were unconscious at the time. I was part of the team that extracted you from Prague.”

“I didn’t know that.” Coulson had only vague memories from the mission. “I was knocked out during the assault on the base.”

May nodded. “You were unconscious when I pulled you out of the building and during the flight back to the Triskellion.”

“I don’t think that counts as our first meeting,” Coulson said. “Although maybe we should have another anniversary to celebrate all the times you’ve saved my life.”

May shrugged. “We’re even.” Coulson raised his eyebrows quizzically, but she did not elaborate.

*****

September 24, 2014

When Coulson returned to his office after dropping off the last of the team’s anniversary cards, minus one for May of course because their anniversary had not changed, he was surprised to find five cards waiting on his desk.

Coulson smiled and pulled out a box from the bottom drawer of his desk. Most people thought the anniversary cards were weird, but over the years he had gotten a few cards back. None from May or Fury, but Barton and Hill had given him a few. His favorite was from Romanov. It had a picture of two bears holding hands and inside she had written “I’m glad I spared your life.”

He sat down and read through the cards his team had left one by one. Skye’s card had a picture of two puppies cuddling together wrapped in a large blue bow. Inside it read: “Thanks for abducting me from my van, and finding me a new home.” Fitz and Simmons had made their cards. Fitz’s had a sketch of the Night-Night pistol on it, and Simmons’ had a picture of a molecule which was labeled Dendrotoxin. Inside they had both written “Thank you for choosing us to join your team.” The card from Ward was very plain with only the words “Happy Anniversary” across the front in gold script. Coulson smiled when he read Ward’s message: “Thanks for forcing me to join the team over my strong protests.”

The last one was from May. Like the card he had given her, it was cheesy - pink with a bouquet of roses on the front. Inside she had written “Thank you for saving my life.”


End file.
